Combined washing-machine and wringer.



C. JOHNSON.

COMBINED WASHING MACHINE AND WRINGER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. I917.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS C. JOHNSON.

COMBINED WASHING MACHINE AND WRINGER.

APPLICATION FILED -APR. 20. I917.

1,261,545. Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHED-SHEET 2.

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INVENTO/i WITNESSES Coffee r/ukrzwrz CORTES JOHNSON, OF SAN IBERNARlDlNO, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED WASHING-MACHIN E AND WRINGEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed April 20, 1917. Serial No. 168,393.

To all :w kom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CoR'msJoHNsoN, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of San Bernardino, inthe county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Combined Washing-Machine and Wringer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a combined washing and wringing machine readily convertible to effect the washing and wringing in succession. More articularl the invention relates to a mac ine in w ich a clothes pounder operates in the clothes box, set in a tub or suds box, the ounder and the basket being each adapte to be operated relatively to the other.

An object of the-invention is to provide a machine in which the clothes may be placed and the machine operated to efiect the washing and whereby after draining off the Water to permit of the washin means being thrown out of operation and t e clothes bas ket given rotary movement to effect the wringing, so called, of the clothes by centrifugal action.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide for readily bringing either the washing means or the wringing means into operation and simultaneously throwing the other out of operation by a mere shift of the drive connections.

Other objects of the invention and the advantages will clearly appear as the description proceeds.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a machine embodying my invention, the drive connection being positioned for actuating the washing means;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the upper portion of the machine, showing the drive connections shifted from the position of Fig. 1 to effect driving engagement with the clothes basket for turning the same, and with the washing means thrown out of operation;

Fig. 3 is a fra entary transverse vertical section on an en arged scale, the view being adapted for connection with any suitable source of supply, and 15 indicates a drain cock to run ofl the water after washing and during the wringing process.

A clothes basket 16 is revolubly mounted in the tub 10 and preferably is made of wire, but any other equivalent foraminous construction may be employed that will permit water to freely enter and escape through the side walls. The top ofthe basket 16 is open and a cover 17. is positioned at the Top \of the basket. To revolve said cover a sleeve 18 is secured thereto, the sleeve in the illustrated example having a flange 19 secured b bolts or screws 20 to said cover. The sllieve 18 turns in a bearing 21 in the tub cover 12 and is provided with a gear 22 adapted to be driven for turning said sleeve and cover. The basket has a step bearing at the bottom, there being a pin 16 thereon at the under side stepped in a bearing 10 secured to the bottom of the tub 10. On the under side of the cover, near the periphery, lugs 17 are secured and these are adapted to have driving contact with similar lugs 16 on the top ring 16* of the basket 16. The arrangement is such that the turning of the cover 17 by the turning of the gear wheel 22 and sleeve 18, will impart rotary movement to the basket 16 for wringing the clothes when the drive connections hereinafter described are properly disposed for the purpose.

The washing means preferably employed and having special advantages which will appear, consists of a conical clothes pounder 23, the general mode of action of which is well known. Said pounder is disposed in the basket 16, being carried by a reciprocating rod 24 so that the reciprocation of said rod will give up and down movement to the pounder. In order that the pounder may be adjusted vertically to suit the quantity of clothes in the basket 16, suitable adjusting means is provided, there being shown for the purpose a spindle 25 on the top of the pounder which telescopes in the tubular lower end of the rod 24 and is adjustably held by a set screw 26. The pounder has guided movement in the sleeve 18 and also and 31 constitute a driven means to rccipro cate the pounder. The two driven means, it will be seen, are co-axial so that the basket may revolve about the axis of the pounder and the pounder may reciprocate centrally of the basket through the sleeve 18. A motor drive is provided common to the two driven means and arranged to actuate either through shiftable drive connections adapted to be positioned to establish driving engagement between the motor drive and either actuating means and simultaneously throw the other actuating means out of action. I have indicated conventionally a motor 32 which may be an electric motor, the base of which is mounted on the tub cover 12, and the upper end of the motor shaft 33 may turn in a bearing 34 on the housing 28 at the under side of the top thereof. A pinion 35 loose on the motor shaft 33, in the illustrated form, is in constant mesh with the driven pinion, 22, to thereby actuate the basket. Driving connections are provided comprising a, sleeve 36 slidable on the motor shaft 33 and shiftable by a lever 37 eXtend ing through a slot 38 in the housing 28 at one side and fulcrumed at its opposite end to the opposite side of the said housing as at 37 for vertical movement. A collar 39 on the sleeve 36 is embraced by a loop 40 or an equivalent on the lever 37. The spline 41 on the motor shaft permits sliding movement of the sleeve while causing the same to turn with the motor shaft. 011 the upper end of the sleeve 36, the same is formed with a worm 42 adapted to be thrown into engageinent with peripheral worm teeth 43 on the disk 29. @n the lower end of the sleeve 36 is a clutch element-preferably in the form v of a conical friction disk 44 secured in any suitable manner as by a set screw 45. lintegral with the loose pinion 35 or other wise in fixed relation theretois a mating clutch element 46, there being preferably a ring of leather '47 or equivalent means to aflord friction surface interposed between the elements 44, 46-and secured to one or the other thereof. The sleeve 36 may be given a neutral position to be out of driving .engagement with both the disk 29 and the clutch element 46. Suitable means may be provided for holding the lever in the upper and lower positions, there being indicated an upper notch 38 and a lower notch 38 in a side of the slot 38.

lln practice, with the above described machine, wa a. water and a detergent are menses supplied to the tub l0 and the clothes are deposited in the basket 16. lhe clothes are then allowed to soak a proper period, say over night, and the machine is made ready for starting. With the employment of the electric motor, the lever may be thrown to the upper notch 38 so that the motor controlling switch or button (not shown) may be caused to start the machine without further adjustment. The pounder having been thrown into operation and the washing process continued a sufficient period, the Water is drained 0d and clean rinsing water supplied and allowed to remain a reasonable time and then drained off. llhe clothes are now ready for wringing by revolving the basket 16 which is efiected by throwing the lever 37 to the lower notch 38, thereby efiecting driving engagement between the clutch elements 44, 46. During-the wringing'operation, it will be observed that the pin 30 and yoke 31 sustain the pounder 33 in the raised position leaving ample room for the clothes to be disposed by centrifugal action against the sides of the basket. lit will be noted therefore that the operations are performed in proper sequence and the washing and wringing elements are brought into and out of action without any adjustment or manipulation of the parts other than the shifting of the sleeve 36 and its appurtenances constituting the .drive connection.

lit will be observed that the cover 12 supports the motor, all the driving devices, the cover 17 of the clothes basket and the pounder 23, so that the said cover 12 may be swung on .its hinge 13 to raise the cover 17 and the clothes pounder clear of the basket 16, leaving the latter in position to be separately lifted from the tub 10. The lowering of the cover 12 positions the drive lugs 17 in the plane of the lugs 16* on the basket for turning the latter.

I wish to state in conclusion that although the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, ll do not limit\ myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, sinc'e manifestly the same can be considerably varied without de-. parture from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentz 1. A machine of the class described in cluding a tub, a clothes basket revolubly mounted in the tub and presenting side walls permitting the entrance and escape of water, driven means connected with the basket centrally thereof to revolve the same and in= eluding a tubular element revolubly' mount rocate in said tubular element, drive means, and shiftable means to establish driving connection between said drive means and either the said tubular element or the said reciprocating rod.

2. A machine of. the class described including a tub, a clothes basket reizolubly mounted in the tub and presenting side walls permitting entrance and escape of water,

driven means connected with the basket to revolve the same, said means includin an elementrevoluble in the top of the tu a able means to establish driving connection between the said drive means and either the said revoluble element or the said reciprocating rod.

CORTES JOHNSON. 

